On January 28, 2020, the Delegation of the European Union to the United States attended a ceremony at the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) renaming a cutting-edge ocean observation satellite after Michael Freilich, the former head of NASA's Earth Science Division.

Awareness raising - Common understanding - Coordination of efforts. Dr. Carine Claeys, EU Special Envoy for Space, will participate in the 70th International Astronautical Congress taking place in Washington D.C.

The US Air Force 18th Space Control Squadron forewarns a potential ‘conjunction’ between the European Space Agency's Aeolus satellite and Starlink44, on 2 September at 11:02 UTC. Experts in ESA’s Space Debris Office calculate the collision probability. As days pass, probability of collision increases, and by Wednesday 28 August the team reaches out to Starlink to discuss options. Starlink do not plan to take action. ESA’s threshold for conducting an avoidance manoeuvre is a collision probability of more than 1 in 10000, which is reached by Thursday evening. On Sunday the decision is made to implement the manoeuvre. On Monday 2 September, a series of thruster burns are triggered at 10:14, 10:17 and 10:18 UTC, half an orbit before the potential collision – the first ever 'collision avoidance manoeuvre' performed by ESA to protect one of its spacecraft from colliding with a satellite in a large constellation.

The European Union proposes investing €16 billion in the period 2021-2027 to further enhance Europe's leadership in space. This new space programme, with a budget 50% higher than that of the previous 7 year period, will reinforce the EU as a world space player successfully competing with both other state and private-sector space actors.

The EU's Earth observation programme Copernicus, yesterday launched a new satellite (Sentinel-3B) to improve our understanding of sea level changes, marine pollution and biological productivity. It will also provide information on the spread of wildfires, land use, the state of vegetation, and water levels in lakes and rivers.